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B"H is an abbreviation for Baruch HaShem which, in Hebrew, means "Blessed be the Name" (or Blessed be God). It is also considered to be an abbreviation for BeEzrat Hashem, meaning "With the Help of the Name" (or With the Help of God).

Read from right to left, the Hebrew letters are bet and hey with " symbolizing the abbreviated portion of the phrase. The Handbook of Jewish Thought by Aryeh Kaplan elaborates on the use of this abbreviation:

It is customary to write "bet-hey" ... in the upper right hand corner of documents. However, some people prefer the abbreviation "bet-samech-daled" (BeSiyatta DeShamaya, Aramaic for "With the Help of Heaven") in order to avoid writing any allusion to God's name in a letter that might be thrown out. - Source: Aish.com excerpted from The Handbook of Jewish Thought, Volume 1 by Aryeh Kaplan

Questions and Answers

Q: Why is this religious symbol and its implied phrase on the Resources for Life website? Is Resources for Life some kind of religious organization trying to convert people to faith in God?

A: Resources for Life is an inclusive entity which affirms, upholds, and promotes positive religious and non-religious values, principles, teachings, ethics, and insights - such as the values identified by the Foundation for a Better Life. For this reason, you will see religious and non-religious-based symbols, quotes, phrases, teachings, and principles on the Resources for Life website, such as:

If you are a non-religious person who is intolerant of religious people, or a religious person who is intolerant of non-religious people, you probably won't enjoy this site.

Having a variety of religious and non-religious-based symbols and themes on our website helps to ensure that the regular visitors to this site are tolerant and open minded. This makes it possible for us to "deflect" those people who are extremist, sectarian, bigoted, racist, and/or hateful of others.

Because the information provided by Resources for Life is very powerful and valuable, it is our desire to see that it be placed into the hands of kind, caring, cooperative, thoughtful, and open minded people who will be empowered to use it for good.

Religious and non-religious people who are able to work together cooperatively toward the common goal of healing the planet will not be offended by this site.

In the interest of total disclosure and open source principles, it is appropriate to further explain that Resources for Life is substantially inspired by the God who has no name (HaShem). However, as can be clearly seen by the diversity of materials on the website, every effort is made to be fair and balanced.

Q: The B"H abbreviation and the statement "Baruch HaShem" are closely tied to Orthodox branches of Judaism. Is Resources for life showing favoritism toward Orthodox Judaism over other forms of Judaism?

A: Within the world of Jewish life, practice, and belief, Resources for Life affirms and provides information about numerous expressions of Judaism through our Jewish Life Resource Group. As was explained above, we do not intend to convert anyone to any religion.

In the interest of total disclosure and open source principles, it is appropriate to further explain that Resources for Life does hope to inspire people to make life affirming, kind, and peaceful choices as they pursue their own way of life. This is explained and demonstrated through our Life Ways Resource Group.

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